Muriwai Black Sand Beach: BloKarting and Gannet Colony

Muriwai’s black sand beach on Auckland’s west coast, 20 knots of wind and a cart with a sail. Welcome to heaven. This Blog4NZ post is here to let you know there is more to do around Auckland than just land at the airport and grab your rental car.

BloKarting rules are simple. Climb onto the cart ending in a reclined position. Strap on helmet. Strap into safety belt. Grab the rope, pull in to go faster, let it out to go slower. Steer with handle. Turn INTO the wind (towards the water) when changing directions. Lesson over. Away you go.

Sound easy? It is. You control the speed, direction and number of wheels on the ground. The normal number of wheels in contact with Mother Earth is three. Two can be more fun. The odd gust will give you the experience gratis. If you don’t like it, let go of the rope and you’ll pop back down to tricycle mode. Daredevils hang on for the ride, but sometimes end up dangling face first in the local freshwater stream.
As long as you have a good steady wind, speed is effortless like memories of riding your bike as a 12 year-old. Sheeting in will get you up to a good clip while you lie back in the seat for the ride. Turning the handle to the water and letting the sail out, you smoothly head back the way you came.

Get Wet

You can ride back and forth on the packed sand and return to your car with nary a drop of water on you. But I couldn’t recommend it. Sending the bloKart through the surf ads a whole new dimension of experience.

About a mile down from your starting point you’ll find a stream. Criss-crossing the stream is my reason for blokarting. If I don’t end up soaking wet and carrying a few pounds of sand on my clothes, what is the point? In winter try this last, just before you head back. Twenty knot winds, low temperatures and soaking clothes will send you into a new adventure we call hypothermia.

You may have seen BloKarting in Tauranga on the Amazing Race. Some crafty Kiwi took traditional land yachts and turned them into something you can pop in the back of your car. Now BloKarting is a world-wide sensation. With top speeds around 90 kph (55 mph) you can blast down the beach at the speed of my parent’s old, green and converted-to-electric Chevette.

Muriwai Gannet Colony

Muriwai beach stuns the uninitiated. Dramatic cliffs, the gannet colonies covering them with poo icing, black ferromagnetic sand (never underestimate the amusement of picking sand up with a magnet) and massive west coast waves. Whilst you are visiting, don’t miss the chance to visit the gannet colonies right up the cliff if it is between October and February. The views are worth the walk even if you visit outside gannet nesting season.

Exertion Factor: 2/10. But you can wear yourself out by holding the sail rope taut with your muscles. Brace against the handle and it is much less tiring.

Physical Blocks: 2/10. Walk downing down to the beach and getting into the cart is all you have to worry about.

Mental Blocks: Visions of getting into the cart. Don’t dwell on it. Everyone else is jealous it isn’t them.

Fantastic Factor: 9/10. BloKarting is tremendously accessible. Even I handle it gracefully.

Bonus: I grin so much my teeth get pummeled with sand providing a low cost whitening solution.

Gear: Sunglasses to keep the sand out of your eyes. Gloves if you have them to avoid rope burn. Towel and change of clothes/shoes if you intend to become gently moistened. Water proof jackets are nice in winter. Even if they weren’t stolen from Don Johnson’s closet, like the jacket of SOME people I know…

Time of Year: Available year round in the proper conditions. You need a good strong wind, preferably from the WSW and low tide. More limited availability around Christmas due to the number of people on the beach.

Cost: Since costs a few grand to own a BloKart, we hire them by the hour for a starting price of NZD$55. Note that if you hire more than one BloKart or for more than one hour there is a sliding cost scale. See the Muriwai Surf School website for full details. Martin and the gang at Muriwai Surf School will get you set up in no time. Ring them on 021 4 surfing to see if the conditions are suitable. The Muriwai Surf School folks are fantastic. I can’t recommend them highly enough.

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My husband is a windsurfer and I think he’s told me about this kind of thing. Here in CA they have the kite sailing, and, also, some of the windsurfers attached sails to oversized skateboard-looking things and cruise around the empty beach parking lots when the wind isn’t strong enough to go out in the water.The Writer’s [Inner] Journey recently posted..The 5-Question Creative Interview- Craig Mattes

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I had never heard of this before. At first I expected some sort of new block art painting project from you! (I don’t know if I’d do this. Yes, I am a wimp.)Kris recently posted..Boosting Your Soil’s Nutrients Naturally

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Winter is a great time to BloKart, no one on the beach to worry about. Wrap up, wear a few layers of merino while you are bloKarting, take some clothes to change into afterwards, grab a hot drink at the cafe when you are done and you’ll be right!

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FrugalMan
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March 22, 2011

You need a good on shore wind (SW-WSW) of about 20 knots, and low tide as you need lots of beach. And sunglasses. In winter a wetsuit isn’t a bad idea but not essential, a change of clothes is probably enough.